IADR Abstract Archives
Planning, implementation and evaluation of oral health promotion program among elderly Bukharian women in community day centers.
Objectives: To discover whether it is feasible to create a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, community-based program to promote the oral and general health of Israel’s Bucharian women in community day care centers
Methods: To create this program we selected a high-risk population: elderly Bucharian (Central Asiatic) women who had immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union. We selected this population because in my clinical and academic work I’ve found that immigrants are at particularly high risk for a low level of general and oral health.
At the first meeting we gathered the data for 23 women. We examined:
Social and economic status.
Self-perception of their oral and general health.
Their actual oral health: sanitary status of prostheses, CPI and DMFT.
Their behavior in preventing and treating their dental problems.
After we analyzed this preliminary data, we decided to promote a community-based oral health program. We assembled a multi-disciplinary staff and organized a "Health Day" that included lectures, demonstrations, and entertainment by dentist, podiatric surgeon, dental hygienist, dietician, entertainer.
Three months later we returned to the community center and re-examined the elderly ladies
Results: We analyzed variables from our questionnaire and dental examinations before and after the intervention among 23 women who participated in the initial stage, the intervention, and the final evaluation.
Our results showed that a positive self-perception of general health increased dramatically from 17% to 39% (p < 0.003). Calculus in both the internal and external areas of the prostheses decreased substantially from 40% to 20% (p < 0.036).
Conclusions: Our project proves that it is feasible to provide first prevention for the elderly population through a multi-disciplinary staff that uses a comprehensive approach
Methods: To create this program we selected a high-risk population: elderly Bucharian (Central Asiatic) women who had immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union. We selected this population because in my clinical and academic work I’ve found that immigrants are at particularly high risk for a low level of general and oral health.
At the first meeting we gathered the data for 23 women. We examined:
Social and economic status.
Self-perception of their oral and general health.
Their actual oral health: sanitary status of prostheses, CPI and DMFT.
Their behavior in preventing and treating their dental problems.
After we analyzed this preliminary data, we decided to promote a community-based oral health program. We assembled a multi-disciplinary staff and organized a "Health Day" that included lectures, demonstrations, and entertainment by dentist, podiatric surgeon, dental hygienist, dietician, entertainer.
Three months later we returned to the community center and re-examined the elderly ladies
Results: We analyzed variables from our questionnaire and dental examinations before and after the intervention among 23 women who participated in the initial stage, the intervention, and the final evaluation.
Our results showed that a positive self-perception of general health increased dramatically from 17% to 39% (p < 0.003). Calculus in both the internal and external areas of the prostheses decreased substantially from 40% to 20% (p < 0.036).
Conclusions: Our project proves that it is feasible to provide first prevention for the elderly population through a multi-disciplinary staff that uses a comprehensive approach